Pop quiz: does your business’ website look like a total copycat of one of your competitors?

The fact remains that while templates and tools “out of the box” certainly make our lives easier, our reliance on them has created an epidemic of generic, cookie-cutter sites.

Whether you’re trying to sell to customers or convince a potential client to hire you for a gig, you can’t afford to look like every other face in the crowd. As a result, your brand identity on-site may very well be what helps you stick out in someone’s mind enough to choose you versus someone else.

But how do you make your brand shine, anyone? We’re glad you asked! Below we’ve outlined some points to consider when it comes to fine-tuning your website for a stronger brand identity.

Lead with Your Logo

From Apple to Nike, logos manage to say a thousand word about your business at a glance. Sleek, high-quality logos allow you to shine and act as a sort of calling card for your company at a glance.

But on the flip side, failure to create a sense of identity or boasting an amateur-looking logo could spell bad news for your business.

To quote the experts at Flashmarks: “Logos protect customers from poor quality by helping them identify their preferred brands and makers.” Much like trust seals on products can signal quality, your company logo does the same.

As a result, brands shouldn’t go without a logo, nor should they try to drum something up themselves without the help of a designer. Even the smallest, most subtle elements of your business speak volumes about your service.

Pick a Striking Color Scheme

Perhaps one of the biggest problems with templated websites is that they often offer dull, boring color schemes that fail to pop.

Boring is one of the worst things you can be online. Instead, consider picking out a color scheme for your brand that’s visually striking and stays in line with your existing company imagery. If you’re clueless on where to start, stick to the principles of avoiding clashing colors or anything that resembles the scheme of your closest competitors.

Maintain a Loud Voice Within Your Copy

From your company blog to the language on your landing page, brands should strive to make their messages loud and clear from the word “go.”

You won’t score points with visitors by sounding like every other business on the block, plain and simple. Whether it’s saying something unconventional or showing off your sense of humor, injecting a human element into your site copy by relying on slang and conversational language versus jargon can go a long way.

Integrate Your Social Feeds

Finally, don’t neglect the power of letting others reinforce what your brand is all about.

Especially if you’re operating in the world of ecommerce, tools such as

Again, creating a sense of identity does not mean reinventing the wheel or starting your online presence from scratch. Instead, consider how these four elements of your site work together to help you stand well apart from your competition.